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Facebook M virtual assistant revealed

Facebook has confirmed it's working on its own virtual assistant service, aimed at taking on the likes of Apple’s Siri and Google Now.

The tool, which is purportedly simply called 'M', forms part of the social network’s Messenger app. Unlike Siri, Microsoft Cortana or Google Now, it doesn’t take voice commands, but answers queries via text.

Facebook says it uses artificial intelligence that’s supervised by humans, with text input meaning it should be more accurate than its rivals.

What makes Facebook's assistant service particularly interesting is the fact that it can carry out tasks for users as well as answering queries.

According to Facebook’s David Marcus, who revealed the news, 'M' can "purchase items, get gifts delivered to your loved ones, book restaurants, [make] travel arrangements, appointments and way more".

For those with privacy concerns, 'M' will only use data from the Messenger app, not from your regular page.

At the moment, the service is only being trialled by select users in the San Francisco Bay Area. But expect that to change if Facebook sees an opportunity to roll it out and take a slice out of the competition.

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